In the Australian action thriller “Seven Snipers”, Radha Mitchell plays a retired army medic named Kris Hendricks. At least that’s the story she has sold to everyone, including her angsty 16-year-old daughter Anja (Annabel Wolfe). In reality, Kris was a member of an elite sniper squad who went by the codename Voodoo Child. And rather than working in a field hospital, she was eliminating enemy targets to the tune of 116 verified kills. And as usual in movies like this, that violent past comes back to haunt her.

Directed by Sandra Sciberras, “Seven Snipers” is a no-nonsense feature that wastes no time plunging us into the action. And once it does, Sciberras moves her audience along with a tense and tactical pacing that locks us in for the entirety of the film’s lean and efficient 88-minute run time. It also helps us to overlook the minimal backstory and character development, both of which are alluded to more than fleshed out.

Kris and Anja live in a remote farmhouse set upon the sprawling Queensland countryside. Things haven’t been easy for Kris. In addition to raising Anja on her own, she also struggles with compartmentalizing her combat trauma while shielding her daughter from the truth of her violent past. But her good intentions have frustrated Anja, who spends most of her time skipping school with her boyfriend Michael (Lee Tiger Halley).

Their quiet life is interrupted by a terrifying person from her past – a lethal marksman and former warlord known only as “The Dragon” (Tim Roth). The ruthless Dragon sends an envoy (Ryan Kwantan) who Kris promptly sniffs out and eliminates. But before he dies, he leaves her with an ominous message, “He’s coming. Long live the Dragon.” At first the reasons for the Dragon’s sudden reemergence looks to be old-fashioned revenge. But we later learn of a far more precious purpose which adds some extra layers of tension.

But the movie is called “SEVEN Snipers”. Enter Kris’ old squadmate Malcolm (Damien Ryan) who she calls on for help. He brings along four other snipers including his somewhat green son Junior (Charles Cottier), the cynical Nico (Pacharo Mzembe), the all-business Kaldayev (Bianca Wallace), and the silent and stoic Milk (Ioan Gruffudd). The stealthily sinister Dragon is the last person to the dance. And from the first crack of his rifle, we’re convinced that he is a formidable threat.

While it’s hard to miss the lack of depth and detail in both the characters and the overall conflict, there’s something refreshing about its simplicity and straightforwardness. “Seven Snipers” builds itself upon the slightest of stories. But once characters begin peering through their long-range scopes, the intensity builds and the stakes ratchet up a notch. From there it’s all about keeping us gripped, which the movie does through economical direction and an all-in cast who fully understand their assignments.

VERDICT – 3 STARS